Learning Through the Senses
Explore the teachable moments in everyday life.
As babies and toddlers begin to explore their home and surroundings through all of their senses, they can be kept safe, healthy, and engaged:
- “Tummy time” can help babies learn to hold their heads up, crawl, and focus on their surroundings. Set up a small mirror in front of them so they can see their reflection and expressions.
- Little ones explore by touching anything and everything! Find fun, safe things with different textures for children to touch and explore. Try a cotton ball, a cardboard box, or a small plastic bottle filled with water.
- Sounds are all around us, and kids love making their own sounds and music. Set up homemade instruments: a pot and spoon can be a drum set, and a paper-towel roll with holes poked in it can be a flute. Encourage siblings to play with sounds together, and use their voices to sing along.
Parenting Moment: Describing
The way you talk with children matters! Your words have power.
Toddler Tips: Meltdowns
Strategies for during and after a meltdown…and even some ways meltdowns might be avoided.
6 Ways to Practice Nurturing Parenting
Tips from a pediatrician on understanding, empathizing with, encouraging, and positively guiding children.
For Providers: Using These Resources
Print and refer to this page as you implement the materials in this initiative.
Milestones: Your Five-Year-Old
All children grow and develop at their own pace; use this chart to guide your expectations and observations so you can talk to your child’s pediatrician about questions or concerns.
Milestones: Your Four-Year-Old
All children grow and develop at their own pace; use this chart to guide your expectations and observations so you can talk to your child’s pediatrician about questions or concerns.
Milestones: Your Six-Year-Old
All children grow and develop at their own pace; use this chart to guide your expectations and observations so you can talk to your child’s pediatrician about questions or concerns.
